Stage Review: A fresh look at the old Frankenstein

Gregory Boller portrays the creature in New Moon Theatre Company’s “Frankenstein.” The makeup was designed by Andrew Chandler.
courtesy New Moon

Courtesy New Moon Theatre Company

Everybody knows the story of Frankenstein, right?

Maybe not.

Everybody knows that a story exists, and some may know it began as a novel published in 1818 by young Mary Shelley.

More know it from the 1931 film and its dozens of cinematic and stage successors. The more well-known versions bear only a slight resemblance to Shelley's book and perhaps with good reason, as it is a ponderous, talky thing.

But leave it to Bo List to purge the excess and craft a fine script that is reasonably faithful to the original yet fit to be staged.

List, a sometimes-Memphian, has directed several plays and adapted several others. In his "Frankenstein," given its regional premiere by the New Moon Theatre Company, we are presented with a compelling story of failure and tragedy. Victor Frankenstein is a well-meaning but arrogant scientist who has more interest in solving a problem than considering the consequences. He means to find a way to reanimate the dead and succeeds beyond his wildest nightmares.

His creation is a hideous thing, but is not a monster, not at first. It takes a succession of abuses and cruelty to turn the creature from a thinking, Milton-reading man into an agent of vengeance. And he does it without going mad, but instead by following the logic of justice and retribution.

The New Moon production, directed by Gene Elliott, is ambitious. It took a good-sized crew to make it happen, and the effort often pays off, particularly impressive for a bare-bones operation. The set pieces are versatile and effectively suggest parks, shipboard scenes, a creepy laboratory and crime scenes.

At a recent dress rehearsal, the performances by the antagonists were compelling. Kinon Keplinger's scientist is self-absorbed, a man who loves his family and fiancée, but never as much as himself. Keplinger stokes his flair for the melodramatic, which is fitting as we watch a rational man who crumbles with each poor decision.

The creature is given a particularly vivid life by Gregory Boller, an actor who typically looms large and yet seems to shrink at first as he is baffled by events, humiliated by circumstances and tortured by the fear of others. But when the creature figures out how the world is working against him, he becomes bigger and cooler and focused. Boller conveys none of the charm of a contemporary bad guy, but rather the pure resolve of purpose that we would admire were it not so murderous.

A special (or spectral) nod goes to Andrew Chandler who designed the makeup for the creature. It is a masterpiece, dreadful to behold with its green tinge and horrible scarring. And when Boller stands in a certain way with the lights cast just right, you truly cannot tell what his eyes are doing — you just have to assume they're looking into your soul.

"Frankenstein," by Bo List

Through Nov. 10 at Theatreworks, 2085 Monroe. Showtimes: Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets: $15; $12 seniors, students and military. More information: 901-484-3467 and newmoontheatre.org.